“From our industry’s perspective, the footprints of
climate change are around us and the trend of increasing damage
to property and threat to lives is clear,” said Franklin
Nutter, president of the Reinsurance Association of America.

Cynthia McHale, the insurance program director at Ceres, issued a
more unequivocal statement: “Our climate is changing,
human activity is helping to drive the change, and the costs of
these extreme weather events are going to keep
ballooning unless we break through our political
paralysis, and bring down emissions that are warming our planet.
If we continue on this path, extreme weather is certain to cause
more homes and businesses to be uninsurable in the private
insurance market, leaving the costs to taxpayers or individuals.”

Last year saw a record 14 natural disasters causing more than $1
billion in damage each.